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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 1924)
The Founding of O’Neiii, By General John O’Neill Burke’s Hotel, Chicago, Illinois March 22, 1876. Patrick Fahy, Esq., Sir: It is just two years and four months, to-day, since I entered into a written agreement, for four months, !-m>rn to by each of us, with yourself and S. M. Boyd, at Lincoln, Nebras ka. You bought out another man’s interest, as you informed me, for the purpose of enabling you to enter into j this agreement. I iiad then spent some j two years in traveling through the Western States for the purpose of see ing the country and selecting places | for locating colonies of my country- j men, and on being informed by you j that you were interested with others, | in a town-site, then called Holt, now ! O’Neill City, in Holt County, Ne- J braska, where the land is exceedingly good, and a sufficient quantity of it, to locate one or more colonies, and that yourself and your associates in this town-site would allow me enough of money, one hundred and fifty dol- j lars per month, for four months, to pay my expenses to go East and work up an immigration for the county. Having fully satisfied myself as to the quality of the land and the desira bility of the location, I was more than anxious to enter into an agreement with you. This anxiety was increased by your uniform kindness and at tention to me wheh I first visited Lin coln, to deliver a lecture on Ireland, and before we had any talk about | entering into business relations. I might here remark that in my travels | in the West, in almost every city ana ; town 1 visited, I met Irishmen who treated me as you did, for which, I, df course, felt very grateful, particu larly as I was then in delicate health, and no doubt felt the kindness move keenly han perhaps 1 would if I had been in good health. I merely mention this now because I have heard that you accused me of ingratitude, which I am not willing to admit is part of my character. I was also more anxious to make arrangements with you because you are an Irishman, and iis my mission is entirely in behalf of the Irish people, I preferred dealing with one of my countrymen. While you were only one of the party to the agreement, I looked to you and not to Mr. Boyd, (who is not an Irishman and with whom I would not likely have entered into any business arrange ments), for carrying out the agree ment entered* into, but in this I was very much disappointed. Both your self and Mr. Boyd were fully aware , of my financial circumstances, for 1 | very candidly told you and you knew \ that I could not travel, or do anything unless you furnished the money as j $ on had agreed to do. And yet to my i ut astonishment, when you got me compromised in the business and started on the road, you treated me shamefully, allowing me to remain for weeks at a time, at Pittsburg, Phila delphia, and New York, under expense, without a cent of money to travel and meet the engagements I had made for attending meetings, etc., and would not even answer my letters or tele grams, but simply trifled with my time so that 1 was unable to do any thing worth speaking of. Had it not been for the kindness of Mr. Ford, of the Irisn World, who, when I explained to him the situation I was in, very kindly allowed me the use of hi3 columns to write the matter up, my first effort to organize a colony would have neon a complete iauure. Al though the money which you agreed to pay me has all been paid, yet it was paid in such a way that it was of very little use to me. In the conversations w'hich 3 had with you on the subject you threw the blame on Mr. Boyd, and on meeting that gentleman in this city a short time ago, I spoke to him about it and he denied that he was in any way to blame, and in a letter which he wrote me, ho says: “My as sessment I promptly paid, and on re ceiving letters from you that you did not receive the money, I made inquiry and was informed that the money bad been sent to you by Mr. Fahy; md receiving a letter from you again that you had not received the money due you, I then refused to pay over any more money on the “con tract.” From this letter and the ver bal statements of Mr. Boyd, it ap pears that it was you and not him who w’uS to blame in the matter. Now, u my gelations with you had ended here I should not write this let ter, or publish it as I now intend do ing for I had been so accustomed +o disappointments and have had to bear the blame for the failure of others to do what they had agreed to do,solong, that I < ould readily pass this over and try to forget it with other misfortunes. But you: 'ubsequent conduct, which has been a very serious drawback to me an i highly injurious to the colony which 1 have worked so hard to build up, forces me to make some things public which I would much rather not l>e compelled to do. On my arrival in Omaha with the first parly of immigrants, you handed me a transcript from the Secretary of State’s office, showing that Holt County had been organized and faring the names of the county officers, etc., but you did not say anything to me about the organization being fraudu lent. Perhaps you did not know it at the time, although this appears a lit tie strange, as the party who organized or pretended to have organized the county, a Mr. Charles Smith, as I am informed was one of the original town site company, who, with yourself and others, located the town-site, and you should certainly have known, if yo.i did not, that there were not enough people in the county to justify a countv organization. If you did not suspect that there was something wrong in the premises, why did you go to the trouble of procuring a transcript from the Sei etary of State’s office to as sure m> that everything was all right. When I got to the settlement and inquired for the county officers, whose names you gave me, I learned for the first time that the organization and election said to have taken place in Holt County was all a fraud, and that no election had ever taken place in the county. A man there, Mr. Inman, who was, I believe, the first white settler in the county, informed me th^t he had received letters from bankers in the East, who had bonds on the town, and on the county for sale, which were evidently gotten out by the same par ties who organized the county on paper. Thie was certainly very pleas ant and encouraging news for me who had gone there with the intention of locating with Yny family, and induc ing others to do the same. Being in doubt as to whether the town and county could be held responsible for the payment of these bonds, I con sulted some able lawyers in Omaha and other places, and was informed that neither the town nor the county could be held responsible, but not withstanding this, Mr. Inman, and a few other bogoted persons in the county who hated to see our people settle tnere, used this bond business and the fraudulent organization of the county as an argument in trying to discourage our people who went there to settle, and openly insinuated that you were one of the party who got up the fraudulent organization and issued the bonds, and as I was to all outward appearances your agent or represen tativo, I came in for a full share of the odium attached to the business. So well did Mr. Inman and others succeed in this nefarious business, that several of our people, who went there to set tle, after hearing their statements left without waiting to see either myself or any of our settlers, and of course left with a false impression of the county and its advantages. One of the arguments used by our enemies to discourage our people from settling there was that you were not making any improvements in the town, ana did not intend to, and that all you cared for was to sell lots in the town and make all the money you could out of it, and that it was all a swindling i operation, etc., and as proof of what they said they wbuld point to the town-site which had not the sign of a house on it. In order to put a stop to all this, I urged upon you the neces sity of putting up some kind of a building, no matter how small or cheap it might be; but although you re peatedly promised to do this, yet you did not do it, and to mend the matter you kept your brother there all the summer of 1874, idle, (very much against his will as he often told me he wanted to go off some place where he could be doing something), which was an additional argument for our enemies that you had no interest in the place, and simply kept him there for appearance sake. I felt keenly the injurious effects of your giving no sign of having any interest in the town, and to think that O’Neill City, which I had done so much to adver tise. was fast becoming a laughing stock. Parties who went out with the intention of starting business there seeing no signs of a town and hearing Parts Supplies Hemstitching ' The Singer Shop New and Second-Hand'Sewing Machines All Makes'Cleaned and Repaired W. A Guy, Manager O’Neill, Nebraska 4k -ct' r** fliiiPii::aii:3. wJmT * W Farm Loans; Fire, Lightning, Tornado, Wind storms, Cyclone, Hail, Auto, Compensation, Public Liability, Property Damage, Collision, .Accident, Health and Life Insurance, see Phone 9. L. G. GILLESPIE, O’Neill, Neb. the unfavorable reports about how'to was started, left in disgust. All this I made known to you from time to time, but to use your own expressive language* you “didn’t care a G—-dd—n what anybody said.” No, you did not care, you were away from, their taking advantage of the reputation which I had made for the place by selling lots, and would do nothing either to assist myself or help to build up the town, while I had to remain and defend you and defend myself and the reputation of the colony. I defended you because, while i was by no means satisfied with your actions and could not understand how ihe county could have been fraud ulently organized and bonds issued without your knowing something about it, yet I did not, and do not now be lieve that you were a party to the | transaction. 1 Accoruing to your own statements last summer, you had then sold over 300 lots in O’Neill City, which at the rate you advertised to sell at, from i twenty to fifty dollais, say on an average of thirty dollars each, would i amount to nine thousand dollars, ($9, i 00). Now, if you only got one-half of this amount you could certainly afford to do something to assist me in j building up the town. You are a I young, or at least a single man, and reputed wealthy, with no one to look ai'ter but yourself, while you knew that I was struggling with poverty and had a wife and family to provide for, and that I was working directly in your interest, but this you appeared not to appreciate. I do not expect you to enter into the spirit of the work in which I am engaged, you have neither the head nor the heart to understand, or appreciate it, but you have a stomach for dollars, and I now want to tell you what you have lost by your stolid indifference to my earnest appeals. If you had acted as you should have done, or, as almost any other business man would have acted, you might, to-day, be selling lots in U’Neill City for from $50 to $150, for they would be fully worth this amount. Being satisfied that I could no longer depend on you for doing any thing, and feeling heartily ashamed of not having a single house in O'Neill City, notwithstanding that there was a good settlement around it, which was constantly increasing, and feeling that in justice to myself and my family, I no longer had any right to continue working and spending money in enhancing the value of your property, I joined Mr. Patrick Hagerty last July in locating a soldiers’ addi tional eighty (80 acres) as an addi tion to O’Neill City, which we intend building up or having it built up as the principal part of the town. This of course was a bank movement which you did not expect for you seemed to have acted all along as if I was com pletely at your mercy, and thab I must continue to work for and build up O’Neill City, because my name hap pened to be connected with it. Well, 1 shall continue to work and do every thing that I possible can to build up O’Neill & Hagerty’s addition to O’Neill City, and I shall give every man who bought of me in O’Neill City a deed of an equal number of lots in this ad dition. When you heard that Mr. Hagerty and myself had located this addition, you then for the first time paid a visit to the settlement, and engaged Mr. Maybury, one of the settlers to put up a shell of a building for you. This , m i- man spent his own money in yim; lumber and putting up this j i ding, and he now writes to me i hi laining that you have not paid 1 m although he needs the money I i.uly, and he has been obliged to take a hen upon the house to have it sold at Sheriff’s sale. This is certainly helping the place with a vengence. A short time ago you published an advertisement in the Irish World, stating that you “owaed all the unsold I lots ir. O’Neill City.” This you knew was not true—you knew that I had some lots for sale there—you knew that S M. Boyd had some lots for sale there—a list of which I have got, and you knew that William McLaughlin, cf your city, had some lots for sale there a list of which he sent me; but I suppose in your sublime selfishness you desired the public to understand that you were the only one from whom they should buy lots. l o crown your generous conduct to ward me I learn that you have been going around like an old women telling people that I took advantage of your brother being absent sick to “jump” his claim. I should think that respect for the memory of your dead brother, who I hope is in Heaven, would pre vent you from thus lying about- me. You know that your brother had no claim at or near O'Neill City had never entered a claim, and had never taken out his papers on one, and you also knew and so does every other man who knows me at all, that if your brother had entered a claim I would be the last man in the world to inter fere with it. I am aware that your brother had selected a claim and talk ed of entering it; but although he was in the county some nine or ten months he never enterd it, ami any man who wanted a claim had a perfect right to take it, and neither you nor I; nor your brother could interfere with this right, and no man knows this better than you do. Mr. Patrick Hagerty, one of the settlers who went up last spring, see ing that this claim was vacant, select ed it for himself—which he or any other man had a perfect right to do— and now has one-half of it as part of h s timber claim, and the other half we bought between us for the addition to O’Neill City. This “addition,” 1 presume, is what grieves you most. I suppose the next thing you will com r'ain of is my interference with your ^ >ht to retain for yourself all the claims around the town-site, which vo i secured at the land office by en e ing soldiers applications on them; Kut in this you will be right for I had ' promised the settlers going out there | that they should have the privilege of j taking up these claims, and when you ! informed me at Omaha, that you had entered them, I protested against it and demanded that you give them up. As for my own claim, it was entered by you with one of the soldier’s appli cations, William Phillips, and the pa pers relinquishing it you gave me ^ourself, and they are now in ray possession. In conclusion, permit me to say, that it affoids me no pleasure to write or publish this letter, but your own con duct has forced the unwilling task upon me. Yours, etc. JOHN O’NEILL. M. O’Dowd, Agent For the Sale of of Railroad Lands, Etc. I have received numerous letters from correspondents making inquiry about Mr. O’Dowd, to which I reply, that I know but very little about the man, and that little is not very credit able to him. He being an agent for the sale of railroad lands when I first com menced organizing colonies, appeared ^to imagine, I suppose, from his great bulk, that the West was too small a country for anybody but himself, and as I was engaged in advising my countrymen to settle upon Government land, which they could get for noth ing, he thought I suppose, that I was going to interfere with his business of selling land, and resorted to means which no honorable man would be guilty of to injure me. While he was in the pay and employ of tjie B. & M. R. R. Land Company, their lands were of course the best) to settle upon; but when he changed his position to the U. P. R. R. Land Company, the Platte Valley, in Nebraska, was then the best, but now that he is in the em ploy of the Kansas Pacific R. R. Land Company, his opinions, of course, have undergone another change, and there is no place like the sunny South with its “shady dwellings, shady pastures, etc.” If he should take a notion to remove to the North pole next time, and get well paid for his services, he will no doubt, recommend that country as a perfect paradise. His own pub lished contradictory statements should satisfy any intelligent man that there is no reliance to be placed in anything he may say. JOHN O’NEILL. LOTS FOR SALE —in— O'NEILL & HAGERTY’S ADDITION ' —to— O’NEILL CITY. Lots around the public square are 23 by 180 feet, excepting corner lots, which are 30 by 180 feet. Comer lots are $40 each, all other lots around the spuare $35. Lots away from the square are 40 by 170 feet. Lots one block from the square are $30, two blocks $25, three blocks $20 each. Lots In Atkinson. The lots in Atkinson are the same size as those in O’Neill & Hagerty’s addition. Corner lots are $35 each. All other lots around the square are $30. Lots one block from the square are $25; two blocks $20; three blocks $15. and those in the suburbs $10 each. A deduction of ten per cent on the above will be made to all who buy two or more lots in either town. Fci price of lot in new town see pages 22 and 23 of this pamphlet. Persons who buy lots are not obliged to live on them, or to make any improvements until they get ready. The taxes upon these lots will be very light. Persons who have deeds of lots which are not recorded can send them to RcLert Wilson, Esq., Clerk of Ante lope county at Oakdale, Nebraska, or they can keep them for a short time until we get Holb county organized. I give deeds for lots myself. As to which town is the best to buy lots in, I think that there is very little diffeience as the necessary arrange ments have been made for building up both places immediately. The number of settlers already located, and the number who are going out this spring clearly indicate that both towns will soon be built up. O'Neill City will be made the County Seat of Holt county this spring, and Atkinson will, in course of time, be the County Seat of the adjoining county west: besides, being within 40 miles of the Pine region, it is bound to become a town of considerable importance. Money invested in either of these towns at the rate which I am now selkng lots is sure to pay at least one hundred per cent, per annum for two or three years. I will send a deed immdiately for one or more lots to any person who will send me the money by P. O. Or der, or Bank Check, care Burke’s Eu ropean Hotel, Madison street, Chicago, Illinois, up to April 19bh, and after that date to O’Neill City. I might here state that this is the only means I have of procuring the necessary funds to enable me to continue the work of organizing and locating colonies in the west, and I respectfully request all of my friends who approve of my work to come forward and assist me. JOHN O’NEILL. Judge Hubbard’s Letter. l'he following letter is from Judge Hubbard, the Resident of the Coving ton, Columbus and Black Hills rail road. which will run through our set tlement Sioux City. Iowa, April 5th, 1876. Gen. John O’Neill, Chicago, 111. Dear Sir—Yours of the 1st inst., has been received and contents noted. We are pleased to learn that there will be a large emigration to Nc* braska this season. Work on the C. C. and Black Hills railroad will, certainly be prosecuted this sear on. Engineers are now on the ■ line locating it and we have some 25. 0C0 ties out ready, and some 40,000 more contracted for, and are expecting to contract for 50,000 more soon. The company will commence grading as soon as the frost is out of the ground. Iron and rolling stock for the first di vision of the road are now being con tracted for,, so that it is now settled that some or the road will be built this year. - - We think the work in which you are engaged will result in lasting and per manent good to all of Northern Ne braska. We will be glad to work with you tv bring about the results desired. Yours truly, A. W. HUBBARD. (THE END.) (First publication August 21) NOTICE TO CREDITORS. Estate No. 1634. In the County Court of Holt County, Nebraska, August 19, 1924. In the matter of the Estate of Joachim Wabs, Deceased. CREDITORS of said estate are hereby notified that the time limited for presenting claims against said es tate is December 17th, 1924, and for the payment of debts is July 14th, 1925, and that on September 17th, 1924, and on December 18th, 1924, at 10 o’clock A. M., each day, I will be at the County Court Room in said -County to receive, examine, hear al low, or adjust all claims and object ions duly filed. * C. J. MALONE, 12-4 County Judges (County Court Seal) (First publication August i4.) LEGAL NOTICE. Thompson Rounsevelle and Willis A. Rounsevelle, non-resident defend ants, impleaded with Patrick E. Mc Killip, A. Lugene McKillip, A. L. u.a zell, first and real name unknown, — -Brazell, first and real name un known and John Doe, real and true rame unknown, also defendants, are notified that on July 12, 1924, Peters Trust Company, a corporation, plain t.ff, commenced an action in the Dis trict Court of Holt County, Nebraska, j against the defendants above named, | tne object and prayer of which are to : foreclose a real estate mortgage exe | luted and delivered by Patrick E. Mc Killip and A. Lugene McKillip, his wife, to plaintiff on December 26, 1918, to secure a note of $1,000 and interest, which mortgage was recorded on January 2, 1919, in Book 122 oft mortgages at page 717 in the office of' t he County Clerk of Holt County, Ne braska, and conveyed the Southeast ' Quarter of Section 17, in Township 32 North, of Range 13 West of 6th Principal Meridian in Holt County, Nebraska. Plaintiff alleges it is the the owner of said note and mortgage and that they are due and payable, and i prays that an accounting be had of the amount due thereon and that the premises above described be sold to satisfy the amount found due on said mortgage. You are required to answer said petition on or before September 22, 1924. PETERS' TRUST COMPANY,, A Corporation, 11-4 Plaintiff. S'l .PATRICK’S CHURCH CATHOLIC Sunday Services: First Mass 8 a. | m.. Second Mass 9 a. m., High Mass ! at 10.30 a. m. Vespers 7:30 p. m. Daily Mass 8 a. m. Catechetical Instruction foi First Communicants 3 p. m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Confession, Saturday from 3 p. m. to 6 p m. and from 7 p. m. to 9:30 p. m. Children’s Confession, First i hursday every month at 1:80 p. m. Very Rev. M. F. Cassidy, Pastor. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH * SERVICES: Sunday School at 10 o'clock. Pleaching service at 11 o’clock. Sunday evening at 8 o’clock. Wednesday evening at 8 o’clock bible study. You are welcome to all of these services. Please note the change of time and change in the order of the services. GEO. LONGSTAFF, Pastor. METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH Sunday Morning Service, 10:00 a. m., Sunday School 11:00 a. m., Young People’s Service 7:00 p. m., Evening Service, 8:00 p. m. Midweek Services: Tuesday, 8:00 p. m.; Young People’s Prayer Ser vice Wednesday 8:00 p. m., Regular Prrayer Meeting, Thursday, 8:00 p. m. Rev. J. A. Hutchins, P^stoy. PUBLIC LIBRARY HOURS. The Public Library will be open each day except Sunday and Monday, from 2:00 until 6:00 p. m. MARY McLAUGHUN, Librarian. >KBRASKA CULVERT AND MM,. CO. AUSTIN-WESTERN ROAD machinery \KMCo CULVERTS Everythin* In Road Machinery Representative L. C PETERS O’Will :: Nebraska Ok I. A CARTER Physician and Surgeon Glasses- Correctly Kitted. Office and Residence, Naylor Blk. — Rhone 72 O’NEILL :: :: NEBRASK A __ # W. F FINLI Y /v\ I). Phone, Office 28 O’Neill Nehraska . IGeoigs M. Haiiinglon j A ITORNEY-AT-LAW | PHONE II. O’NEILL. NEBRASKA. p ^ -I I ^ ■ mi m m ■ ■!■■■ — NEW FEED STORE! | In the Roberts Barn } in connection with the } Feed Barn. All kinds of ! feeds and hay carried j in stock. We make de- } livery. { We do custom grinding, j Office, 336. Res. 270 or 303 J ROBERTS & HOUGH J i ---- — THE O’NEILL j ABSTRACT COMPANY —Compiles— "Abstracts of Title” THE ONLY COMPLETE SET OF ABSTRACT BOOKS IN HOLT COUNTY. { OR. AILi ! N Physician and Surgeon Special Attention Given To DISEASES OF THE EYE AND CCfRRECI FITTING OF GLASSES H. L. BENNETT GRADUATE VETERINARIAN Phone 304. Day or Night. O’NEILL, NEBRASKA. .jOa, . i .», ! .. t'p ©TS«A.k.H.eo. “HEARD A LECTURE THE OTHER NIGHT” said Aunt Julia, “a spectacled-lady was scolding us all because we didn’t take enough interest in the ballot. Well, just having the right to go into a polling booth doesn’t count for much with a woman whose imagination is bounded on one side by the back fence and on the other by the front porch. After they’ve had their hands full twenty years looking after a house they’re not so likely to have the time left to look after the nation.” We think Aunt Julia is putting it too strong. Wo men are getting away from the “housework mind" by using every modern convenience for shortening house work hours. For instance, more than 2,000,000 Ameri can Women are using the laundry today. May we add your name to the list Phone 209 O’Neill Sanitary Laundry Progress and Satisfaction Streets